Your nanna’s been saying it for as long as you can remember: cleanliness is next to godliness. But while we all know that staying clean and hygienic is important, few of us know why.

And even fewer of us know how to do it well!

Hygiene is defined as anything we do to feel, smell and stay fresh and clean, with the express purpose of preventing the spread of bacteria and other harmful germs that can cause disease. But hygiene is important for other reasons too – socially, it’s expected. Greasy skin and hair, body odour, and bad breath can be off-putting for those around us and can be an issue in the workplace or other public places such as public transport where we’re in close contact with others. Not to mention, of course, the impact smelling bad can have on our loved ones!

Despite its importance, hygiene can be hard to maintain – science has shown that it’s nearly impossible to smell our own body odours, so we’re often completely oblivious to them. So if you’re worried that you might be a bit ‘on the nose’ or you simply want to stay healthy and fresh, here are ten essential tips for improving your hygiene.

#1 Wash your hands properly

→ 97% of people don’t wash their hands correctly!

One of the first hygiene tips you were taught as a kid was to wash your hands, so this one’s a no-brainer, right? Wrong. Research has shown a whopping 97% of people don’t wash their hands correctly, despite this being one of the most essential practices when it comes to hygiene. So where are we going wrong?

The study showed that most of us make these common mistakes when washing our hands:

• Not washing long enough: In order to get rid of bacteria, we need to wash our hands for a minimum of 20 seconds.
• Not using soap: Water won’t kill bacteria – we need soap. When washing our hands, we need to use soap and make sure we lather it up.
• Not getting hands wet enough: All of our hands (front and back) need to be wet to get rid of bacteria.

Our hands are the biggest carriers of germs so it’s critical we wash them correctly, and often. We should (at least) wash our hands after doing the following:

• Before preparing food, or eating it.
• Before picking up a baby.
• After using the toilet.
• After coughing or sneezing.
• After we’ve had contact with an animal.
• After we’ve been in contact with someone that we know is unwell.

#2 Keep your fingernails in the best condition

→ Avoid biting your nails as this will spread bacteria to your mouth!

Our hands are the biggest carriers of germs anywhere on our bodies. And this is especially true of our nails, where we can get bacteria and visible dirt stuck, making our hands very unhygienic, not to mention unsightly!

To keep your fingernails in the best condition, make sure you:

• Regularly trim them. The longer they get above the top of your fingers, the more likely they’ll collect dirt and germs.
• Sterilise nail clippers and files, especially if you’re sharing these with other people.
• If you have longer nails, scrub the underside of your nails with soap and water regularly.
• Avoid biting or chewing your nails, as this will spread bacteria from your nails to your mouth.
• Never rip or bite a broken nail, as this can lead to an infection. Trim it with scissors instead.

To keep your toenails as hygienic as possible, make sure you follow the same tips for them.

#3 Bathe – thoroughly

→ Make sure you wash between your toes and behind your ears!

The number one cardinal rule of staying hygienic is washing regularly. But how ‘regularly’ is regularly? That depends on who you are and where you live, according to experts.

And while there’s no cardinal rule on how often we should wash, if you live in a hot climate, experts recommend you bathe once or twice a day. In a cold climate, you can get away with bathing less… but do you really want to?

To make sure you’re the cleanest you can be after your bathing time, make sure you:

• Wash with soap and water.
• Pay particular attention to sensitive areas of your body, for example, your groin area and your feet.
• Make sure you regularly wash the harder-to-clean areas as well, for example between your toes and behind your ears.
• If you’ve got oily skin, invest in specialty products, such as a cleanser, that will help you achieve a deeper scrub.

#4 Look after your hair

→ When you’re showering, wash your hair first!

If you’ve got short hair, washing it is easy – you simply lather up, rinse and it’s dry within minutes. If you’ve got longer hair, though, the process can be longer and more painful – you need to wash, condition, comb, blow-wave, and then style. The sheer effort involved can be enough to encourage us to do it less often than we should.

Yet we really shouldn’t wait too long. Although the number of times we should wash our hair per week varies per individual (depending on factors such as your hair’s natural oils, your environment, and your skin), experts recommend we should do it at least once per week (and often more). And while it’s trendy right now to stop washing your hair altogether (there’s a whole movement dedicated to ‘No Poo’ – no shampoo), this can have some serious hygienic side effects. If you don’t wash your hair, your hair may start to smell like sour milk, you could develop in-grown, and you can even go partially bald. Yikes!

When you’re washing your hair, follow these tips to maximise hygiene:

• Use shampoo and conditioner (not a mixed product).
• Lather up your shampoo and leave it for a few minutes.
• Rinse well. Rinse for at least a minute after shampooing before applying conditioner, and another minute after you’ve conditioned, to ensure that all residue has been washed away.
• Scrub your hair with your hands.
• When you’re showering, wash your hair first. This is because hair products can leave a residual film on your body, which can lead to breakouts. If you wash your hair first and your body second, you’ll have the chance to remove these.

#5 Brush – everywhere

→ Brush your tongue. This will help remove any oral bacteria!

We all do it, but… how well do we do it? Brushing our teeth (and for some of us, flossing) is a staple of our hygiene routines. But while that might be true, we could all be doing better – 92% of adults have dental fillings and 80% of us will experience gum disease at some point.

Filling and gum disease can be inconvenient, painful but also – quite unhygienic. When something untoward is happening in your mouth, others smell it by way of horrible breath!

Here’s how to brush to maintain the best possible mouth hygiene:

• Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gum line. Make sure you use toothpaste with fluoride.
• When brushing, apply enough pressure so you feel the bristles against your teeth. Don’t push too hard, though – this could cause you to brush enamel off your teeth.
• Brush the inside and outside of all of your teeth using a short, circular motion.
• Brush along your gum line.
• Brush for two minutes. Each tooth will require several brushes in any given brushing session.
• Consider an electric toothbrush. Using one will ensure your teeth get a better clean as the circular motion that toothbrush makes does the work for you!
• Brush your tongue. This will help remove any oral bacteria.

#6 Floss – the right way

→ Curve the floss into a c-shape against your teeth!

Here’s how to make the most of your flossing session:

• Take about 30 centimetres of floss from the packet. Then, wind most of it around your middle fingers and hold one end with your other hand.
• Glide 2-3 centimetres of floss between your teeth. Use a gentle sawing motion. Don’t press too hard as this will result in bleeding gums.
• Curve the floss into a c-shape against your teeth.
• For every tooth, make sure you gently scrape the tooth’s side as your scrape away from the gum.
• If you haven’t flossed for a while, your gums might feel sore or bleed. But be brave! After about a week you’ll have removed the plaque and they should be back to normal.

In addition to flossing, make sure you gargle mouth rinse regularly, as this can prevent the build-up of bacteria in your mouth and also tonsil stones, which can cause bad breath.

#7 Keep your smell under control

→ Body odour is caused by bacteria!

It’s no secret that most people find body odour to be repulsive. And whether you live in a hot climate and you’re relatively ‘used to it,’ or you get caught out by a particularly warm day, it’s important to do your best to keep your body odour under control.

Many people believe that body odour is caused by sweat, but it isn’t – it’s caused by bacteria. When we’re feeling warm, our bodies secrete water to cool us down. This water, sweat, then becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, which is what we smell when we smell body or foot odour.

So here’s the best way to fight the bacteria:

• Use deodorant regularly, and carry it with you. Apply it whether or not you think you need it – others could well be smelling something you’re not!
• Bathe regularly and wash your hair – this helps to reset your odour.
• Wash your clothes often. If you’re particularly sweaty, they may need to be washed after every wear.
• To avoid foot odour, wear cotton socks, wash your shoes (or insoles) regularly, and where possible, go barefoot to help your feet breathe.

#8 Clean your groin

→ Using a bidet can stop bacteria from spreading around your bum!

Your underarms and feet aren’t the only areas prone to bacteria! Your groin area can also get particularly smelly if you don’t thoroughly wash it. This can lead to nasty infections such as urinary tract infections or even kidney infections.

To keep your groin area as hygienic as possible, make sure you:

• Wash with a gentle soap. Washing with harsh soaps can change the pH balance in our groin areas, which can lead to itchiness and a rash.
• If you’re male and uncircumcised, make sure you wash and dry under your foreskin, as it’s easy for bacteria to breed there.
• Outside of the shower, if you’re a female, consider using vagina wipes. These gentle wipes ensure that your vagina stays bacteria-free.
• Use a bidet! Using a bidet as opposed to simply toilet paper will ensure that toilet bacteria are washed away, as opposed to wiping, which can spread infection.

How to improve your hygiene

Being hygienic helps us avoid nasty bacteria, as well as diseases we definitely don’t want. But more than that, being clean and hygienic just simply feels great! It also helps us avoid otherwise embarrassing situations and ensures we’re healthier, now and in the future.

Help your nether region stay as hygienic as possible with a bidet. Bidets are proven to remove harmful bacteria and give you back that fresh, clean feeling.